CALIX

The following morning, I had one mission on my mind--that was to see Cass's father before he went back to Greece. I was well aware that he was a busy man and I was grateful that he agreed to meet me in his hotel room before his scheduled flight.

Things didn't go as well as I expected. I thought our announcement about our relationship would be accepted by both of our families with open arms but I guess I was just optimistic about it.

We got the same reaction both from my mother and Cass's father. They were both against our relationship much to my surprise. But I intended to talk to Spiro Vitalis and make him understand that my intention towards his daughter was honorable.

I knew I must not be the type of guy he wanted for his only child given my not-so-pleasant past but I assured him that his daughter was the only woman I ever loved. No one would ever love Cass more than me I was sure of that.

My heart lurched thinking of that beautiful goddess I left in my apartment this morning. I have to kiss away her anxiety about my scheduled meeting with her father. I assured her that everything would be okay if our parents would only understand that we were serious with each other.

I didn't know if I was being hopeful here but I hope for the sake of my sanity that they would finally approve of our relationship.

With every courage, I could gather inside me. I knocked at his hotel door and his bodyguard opened it for him.

I cleared my throat. "I am here to see, Mr. Vitalis."

"He's waiting for you inside, sir." The bulky man stepped aside so I could enter the hotel room. I was fully aware of how nervous I was and the way my heart was pounding so loudly in my chest.

I waited for Spiro in the living room while his bodyguard informed him about my arrival inside his bedroom.

It didn't take long before he emerged from his bedroom fresh from his shower. I stood from my seat but he motioned me to sit back as he fixed the cuff sleeves.

"Good to see you again, Calix." He greeted me with a smile.

I wished I could return that welcoming smile on my face but I was too nervous to do that. I cleared my throat and went straight to business. "I will not beat around the bush, sir. You must already know why I met you so early today."

"Ah, you mean your relationship with my daughter?"

"Yes, sir," I answered clutching my hands together. I knew he wasn't pleased when he learned that I was dating his daughter last night."

"Then, you must know what I am against about it." He said in a toneless voice while looking at me firmly.

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I should have known about this but it was still disheartening to hear it personally. "May I know the reason why are you against the idea that I am dating your daughter?"

Spiro broke eye contact and then walked in the direction of his floor-to-ceiling glass window and stared outside. "You are a nice young man, Calix, don't get me wrong, but I will be the one who will choose Cassie's husband."

"And I don't fit in your criteria?" I asked with sadness creeping through my whole being. It felt like they skinned me alive with a dull knife.

His back was still on me while he was still looking outside his hotel window. "Let's just say that I want Cassie's husband to be useful to me in my business."

I found his answer difficult to swallow. "If that's the criteria you are looking for Cass's potential husband then I am willing to work at our family hotel's business, sir. I can learn my way to the business world."

He finally turned around and looked at me. There was a pitiful smile on his face. "I admire your dedication but there are things that are not meant to be, Calix. I hope you will end your relationship with my daughter before things get more complicated. Now that Cass is already twenty-four I am planning to start my quest in introducing a potential husband for her."

I paled while staring at him. I could feel that my heart was breaking into a million pieces. "You can't expect me to oblige to your request, sir. I love your daughter more than life itself."

Compassion lit his unreadable eyes. "I can see myself in you when I was your age, young man. But sometimes things don't go your way. The sooner you accept this the better for both of you to move on pretty quickly."

"I am sorry but I will not break up with your daughter. We love each other and we are already at the right age. We know what we are doing."

He took a deep breath. "Sooner or later, I will find the perfect husband for her. Cassie is a dutiful daughter and she can't do anything but follow my wishes."

"Please, sir," I almost begged him. "I will do anything just for you to accept me as Cass's boyfriend. I can leave my work as a photographer and be a full-time businessman like my cousin Loukas just give me a chance to prove my worth and my love for Cass."

"In another time, I want you to be my son," he said. "But things are more complicated than you think, son. The past will always come down to haunt us and it's better if we just let it rest where it belongs since the Vitalis and Spirdakous's lives are so tangled together."

My brows knitted together. "What do you mean by that?"

He shook his head dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing important nowadays." He stared at me with a serious face. "I will give you time to break up with Cassie. But when the time comes I will introduce her to the eligible man that could be her potential husband in the future."

Knowing your girlfriend's father didn't approve of you was one thing--but it was an entirely different matter when he openly stated on your face his plans of marrying his daughter off to the man of his choosing. It felt like my heart had been ripped open. I have had a hard time breathing evenly. I hoped that this was all just a bad nightmare and that soon I would wake up.

But the sad news was that this was very much the reality. Just when I thought that everything going smoothly and then this huge obstacle happened. I have no idea how to turn the situation around. I couldn't possibly lose Cass without losing my mind in the process.

Now as I went out of Spiro Vitalis' hotel room the future between me and Cass was foggier than before. I felt dejected after my talk to him since I was hopeful that I misread his reaction last night.

As I went back to my apartment, thankfully, Cass was already in the art gallery for her work and I was left alone to ponder my thoughts.

I wanted to call her and just hear her sweet voice to make my upset heart put to ease but I couldn't do that since she would surely ask about my errands and I didn't want to lie to her about my conversation with her father.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that her father gave me an ultimatum to break up with her so he could start introducing a potential husband for her.

I mean, how could let that happen? I would kill anyone who would try to win Cass's favor. I worked so hard to get where I was with her today and I would not let some bastard just waltz his way to her life without a fight. Spiro couldn't possibly expect me to give her up without a fight.

No, I would turn this situation around even if I needed to move mountains to be with her so be it!

I knew there was more to this disapproval of our relationship than meets the eye. Both of our parents were suspiciously against it. Normally, my mom wouldn't give a fuck whom I date in the past and surprisingly she was so vocal with her opinion about me and Cass when I knew she likes Cass because she'd been very expressive before that a girl like Cass should be the type of girl Loukas should marry for the second time--a good and traditional Greek girl, unlike his unruly American ex-wife.

So it puzzled me that she disapproved of my relationship with Cass when she'd been all but praising Cass before.

I have decided to look further into this matter since I have a hunch that this was not a simple case of an unmatched couple. I took out my phone from my pocket and dialed my mom's number.

Thankfully, after a few rings, she finally answered. "It's me, mother."

"Calix."

I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. "I want to talk to you about something."

"I hope this is not about what happened in the art gallery, my son."

"You be it is," I answered, and I heard her sigh deeply on the other line.

"Why are you so stubborn about this? Why can't you listen to me even once?"

I knew I was a rebellious child who didn't follow anyone's expectations and followed my own set of rules since my father's death I gave up doing everyone's expectations of me and did whatever I wanted including staying away from the family's hotel business.

"Listen, Mom," I said. "I talked to Spiro just now."

"You did what?! Oh, please tell me that you are just joking."

"I am dead serious, mother. I just got home after I met with him."

"What are you thinking?! Why did you do that? Why did you see him?"

I put my free hand in the pocket of my pants. "Isn't that obvious? I want to know why you two opposed my relationship with Cass. I want to know the reason behind it."

"W-What did he tell you?"

I removed my phone from my ear and stared at it for a moment. Did my mother sound nervous just now? Placing it back near my ear I continue with the phone call. "He tells me that he wants to be the one choosing his daughter's husband."

"Did he say anything else?"

I frowned. She sounded distressed. "And that the Vitalis and Spiridakous' lives so tangled together that it had something to do with the past."

I heard her curse softly on the other line. And my mother rarely--if not at all the type of woman who cussed.

My eyes narrowed instantly. "What's going on, mom?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me and tell me what's going on. I know there is more to this than you are telling me."

"Let's not dig into the past, shall we? Just listen to your mother even just this one, my son. Cut ties with Cassie for everyone's peace of mind."

"Everyone's peace of mind or just you and Spiro's."

"Calix!"

"What? I am just saying what's obvious, mother. If Cass and I separated the two people will benefit from it is just you and her father."

"That's not true! We are doing this for you, and Cassie's sake. Trust me, you will be grateful in the future if you listen to me now."

I tightened my grip on my phone. "Do you hear yourself, mother? How can I be grateful to you when you are trying to separate me and the woman I love? Tell me, why do you think I will ever be grateful for that cruel act?"

"Calix, my son, listen to me..."

I let out an angry sigh. "No, Mom, you listen to me, I will not rest until I uncover whatever secret you and Spiro have been hiding and I will make sure that I will get to the bottom of this."

"You will not dare... Calix, listen to me, please, don't do something reckless think about it carefully. Don't dig into the past if you know what's good for us."

I laughed sardonically. "Do you think I care about that when I am on the verge of losing the woman I love?"

"You don't love her. I am sure whatever you feel for her is just fleeting emotions and nothing more."

"You don't know what you are talking about, mother. Either you tell me why you are against my relationship with Cass or I will uncover it myself. Your choice."

There was a long pause on the other line that for a moment, I thought she hung up on me, and then I heard my mom let out a loud breath.

"Fine. If you want to know the truth come back to Greece and see me. I will tell you everything."

"Can't you just tell me over the phone? Do I truly need to travel to Greece for that?" I asked in a frustrated tone. I have no objection to coming back to Greece if I could get an answer from her but that would mean that I would be away for a few days at the most to Cass and I would surely miss her lying next to me.

"That's my condition if you want to know the truth, Calix. And let me warn you that if you learn the truth there is no going back. You might as well be the one who will choose to stay away from Cassie after our talk."

"That will never happen."

"Let's see."

My eyes narrowed again. I didn't understand her confidence that I would leave Cass after our talk where did she get that assurance? "Can I trust that you will tell me the truth and nothing bullshit?"

"Yes, son, so you will stop your madness with Cassie. I might as well tell you the truth and I hope you can keep this to yourself after you don't want everything to fall apart."

"You are not making sense again..."

"I will wait for you here. After our talk, I know that nothing will be the same again but just remember that I always love you and your sister."

"Mother..." Before I could say anything he already disconnected the phone call leaving me with more questions than answers. But as I left with my thoughts alone I couldn't shake off this dreadful feeling that settled in my chest. I tried very hard to brush off this feeling but it wouldn't go away.